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New Year, new opportunities

Fred Gregory

In a world where the international calendar is becoming increasingly hectic with cricket all round the globe, the New Year sticks out as a particularly bloated period.


At present, 5 major T20 leagues are running in unison with one another: the BBL, the BPL, the Super Smash, the ILT20 and the SA20. For the average punter, it has been difficult to keep an eye on all of them, particularly those leagues which aren’t as readily available to stream.

Sam Curran has represented MI Cape Town in previous years but has been picked up by the Desert Vipers in the ILT20 this year
Sam Curran has represented MI Cape Town in previous years but has been picked up by the Desert Vipers in the ILT20 this year

Whilst most will have their eyes on the bigger leagues at the moment i.e. the SA20 and BBL, this time of year presents a great opportunity to players to dip their toes into the world of franchise cricket. Specifically, it’s a great time of year to be an English cricketer.


With Indian players mostly unable to play overseas leagues and Australian, South African, Kiwi and Bangladeshi players expected to play in their own tournaments - the pool for overseas players is much smaller than at other times of year. The West Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani players also feature prominently in these leagues but it’s the English who are picking up the bulk of the contracts.


The opportunities for fresher faces to the franchise circuit is aided further by the fact that England's T20 tour to India has just begun too which has already removed the cream of the white ball crop from contention in these leagues too.


The SA20 is, at present, probably the most attractive proposition for overseas players followed closely by the ILT20 and the BBL. All three of those tournaments are littered with English talent.


Whilst there are limits on the number of overseas players in the BBL, SA20 and BPL (New Zealand’s Super Smash doesn’t have any overseas at all) the ILT20 really opens up the playing field with 9 overseas players allowed out of the playing XI. Perhaps not great for the Emeriti players looking to get a game in a 6 team tournament but fantastic news for big squads of imported talent.


At last count, 33 English players had contracts in the ILT20 - a larger number than the Emeriti players who are contracted in the same league.


Of course, some of these players often dart from tournament to tournament depending on what priority agreements they have with different sides and how each of their teams fare in the tournament. Sam Billings for example has famously signed a three-year deal with the Sydney Thunder meaning his priorities lie in the BBL but he is expected to play some part for the Dubai Capitals. Meanwhile, former international team mate, Alex Hales, finished up for the Rangpur Riders on 9th January and was playing for the Desert Vipers three days later.


The start of the ILT20 and the SA20 has been noticeable in recent years for the quality that they have brought in but certainly at the expense of the BBL where many sides are operating with fewer than their allotted three overseas players at this stage of the tournament. In years gone by, the BBL had the pick of global talent but now the opportunities are so much more varied in other parts of the world.


For the concentration of talent, the SA20 has really shone with the players on display, Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan and Dinesh Karthik all showing their skills. The best English players also seem to have taken a liking to the competition too with Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Zak Crawley all getting picked up - Ben Stokes was also in line to appear for MI Cape Town before an injury setback. This has all been backed up by fierce competition for spots by South Africa’s own.


For every Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings and Sam Curran though there’s a Richard Gleeson, Tom Alsop and Nathan Sowter. 


In years gone by, those non-international county pros would have had to settle for indoor nets or perhaps a stint in Grade Cricket at this time of year. Now, genuine opportunities to get full match practice and a meaningful pay packet can make a huge difference to those players.


Contrastingly, there is an argument to say that the dilution of talent has meant that, in some places, player quality is slightly lower. In the BBL that is certainly the case if you compare this year’s competition to 10 years ago when they had Daniel Vettorri, Shakib Al Hasan, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Jacques Kallis all featured.


It’s the same argument being had during the Hundred in England which is played simultaneously with the One Day Cup, the quality is diluted but it does give chances to players who may not have had them otherwise.


Unfortunately, for the BBL, ILT20 and SA20 they will always have to compete for players but clearly - there are enough English cricketers to go around…

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